Wear compensating bearing



June 27, 1933.

F. C. HOBLER WEAR COMFENSATING BEARING Filed April 15, 1932 vl a M #0. W 1. fi MH ,w k w m W W Y l 5 WWHQMA WIT/V555 Patented June 27, 1933 A FRANK c. HOBLR, OF ELivrInA, YORK) WEAR coivirnnsA'riNG BARIN'G Application filed April 15,

The principal objectof the present invention is to provide a wear compensating bearing suitable for forming an operativecon-` nection between two relatively mova'ble members and adapted to automotically Compensate for and take up such 'wear as may occur. lbetween the relatively moving bearing sur- 'faces so as to eliminate looseness or'lost motion and Vconsta'ntly preserve a proper'bearing engagement 'therebetweeir I My improved' wear compensating bearing 'is therefore capable of numerous and varied i uses and applications, but is particularly adapted 'for installation at various points in an automobile such, for example, at the pointl of attachment of the forward endsv ofl thesprings to the w 'frame or lin the steering knuckles or front axle spindle bearings or at the points of connection of the cross tie rods with the steering arms of the steeri'ng mechanism, as will be readily apparent to-those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. p i a For convenience of description, therefore, .but not by way of limitation or restriction, Ishall herein refer more particularly to' the employment of the bearing as a connecting medium between the front endsof the front4 Voi'i'ear Springs of an automobile' and the frame thereof, the bearing in such instances being employed in place of the usual bolts whicheirtend through the laterally spaced ears of the springjhorn at the front end of i' the side frame member and through ther ;the strength requisite-tolsustain the required load without increasing the external' dimen-.l`

mentary,` of a modfied form of'the bearing spring eye bushing of the front springdisVV posedbetween them, or through thelaterally spaced depending ears of a spring hanger se: cured to the sideV frame lmember andpthe spring eye bushingof the .v'rear spring disposed betweenthem. o

In addition tothe aforesaidprincipal object of my invention, further objects thereof are tovprovide a wear compensating bearing': affording adequate bearmg area between the'l relatively, moving bearing surfaces and one in'which the parts are of suiiicient slze to glve sions of the parts to a point which would prevent the use of the bearing in automobiles 1982. serial No. 605,450.`

01' other machinery designed for the Vplain'r bearings ordinarily employed at'those points at which my improved bearing may desirably be utilized, thus enabling the latter to be installed asfactory equipment on new cars or as replacements von old cars without'the necessity of material alteration or modification of their design. i

A still further obj ect of the invention is to provide .a j wear compensating bearing ofO simple formv and constructioncomprising but a relatively small number of parts of a character suitable for eflicient and economical 1nanufacture,thus'permitting the bearing to be employed without material increase in cost .65 over the plain bearings ordinarily utiliz'ed-at similar points, and to provide a bearing,

which, can be readily assembled with the parts with which it is designed. to be operatively associated, in which the: degree of V 2 ,frictional contact between' the relatively movable elements may be readilyv adjusted to a predetermined or other value.

' A still further object of the invention is the provision of a wear' compensating. bearing so constructed and arranged that lubricant need be supplied at only relativel inlfrequent intervals in order to maintain the wearing surfaces in properly lubricated condition. y j '1. My invention further includes other objects and Vnovel features of design, construction and arrangement hereinafter'more particularly' mentioned or whichwill be apparent from the accompanying drawing in which .z I have illustrated a bearing constructed in 'accord'ancewith the principles of the invention as 'well as a slightly modfied form thereofand certain modifiedforms of the bushing which eonstitutes a component part of vthe bearing. v v

In the said drawing, Fig. 1 is a Vertical central section. with certain partsin elevavtionshowing'the bearing installed as the confnecting medium. between an end ofv onev of5 i the springs of an automobile and the spring horn or spring hanger of the frame -thereof; Flg; 2 1s a centralsection, partiallyfraglbushing and-associated parts,,and Figs. 3 "o and l are'respectively central longitudinal sections of still other forms of bushings which may be used in the bearing assembly. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation on a reduced Scale showing the front end of an automobile frame and the front end of the forward spring connected therewith by the bearing shown in the preceding figures; Fig. 6 is a similar View showing the forward end of the rear spring similarly connected to a hanger or bracket extending' from the car frame, and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary Vertical central section generally corresponding to Fig. 1, but showing` the slightly modified construction to which I have referred. Like symbols are used to designate the same parts in the several figures.

Refer'ring now more particularly to Fig. 1

' 'ofthe`drawing, L-L' represent laterally '"20 Spaced depending ears or lugs forming integral parts of or permanently attached to Vthe frame F between whichthe eye of the spring S is disposed. yllhe lugs L- L'V may Vthus be considered as typical of any rigid 'member or element to which another element,

typified by the spring S, is to be connected through the medium of the wear compensating bearing' of my invention in such manner V'as lto be capable of relative movement with i' respect'thereto. Thus, for example, the lugs iL-L' might be a portion of the yoke at the .end of an antomobile axle, and the part S the steering spindle from which extends the stub axle on which the wheel is journaled, or

lL '-L' might typify the yokeat'the end of the cross tie rod of the steering mechanism and S a portion of the steering arm,` aswill be readily understood.

i Within the sp-ringeye there is preferably vdisposed a hol'low bushing 1, desirably externally'cylindrical, which is pressed or otherr' wise disposed in the spring eye or other anal- -ogo`us part so ;as to be operatively rigid t`tl1erewith. VThis bushing is internally threaded, and in the form of the invention now being' described the threads are carried enti-rely through the bushing from one end r forms of threads may in certain instances be employed, and under certain conditions the `bushing may be omitted and the threads formeddirectly in the spring eye or other partlnormally receiving the bushing'.` i "Each of 'the ears or llugs L-L' is correspondingly bored and threaded as at 3 with 'the bo-res in axial alignment with each other and,'during assembly, eXt-ernally threaded vstuds generally designated as 5, 6 are respectively vscrewed oppositely inwardly vlthroughlthelbores and into'the opposite end `vyof' the bushing` disposed between the lugs and-in axialalignment with the Vbores, the

sembled as hereinafter described, these lock i nuts are'set up tightly so as to prevent the studs from 'hacking out of the lugs or otherwise departing from their properly adjusted position, the lock washers or other locking means in turn insuring the lock nuts 'remaining in place.

Preferably at the center of the bushing 1 is disposed an abutment 10 which may be formed in a variety'of ways and which, for convenience, I term a seat. In the particular form ofl the invention now beingV described, this seat consists of a washer having a hole in its center and of such diameter andv thick- 5 ness thatl by inserting a tapered broach of square or triangular cross section in the hole in the washer, 'it can be readily lscrewedV along the threads of the bushing from either tral position therein, where it is then locked in positlon by driving the broach into the hole so as to expand -the washer radially against the thread, thus permanently seating the washer in the bushing. While this is a convenient way of forming the seat in the bushing, any other suitable method -may be employed if preferred while, as will 'hereafter more fully a-ppear, the seat may be formed either by` a washer as just described:

or in numerous other ways so long as it is of such Character and so arranged in the bushing as to form an obstruction in its bore suitable for a purpose now to be described.

The function of the seat is to provide anl abutment for one end of a coil spring 12 which extends outwardly from one'face of the seat into a cavity 13 formed in the inner .end of. the stud adj acent that face of the seat. Thus,1n'l*`ig. 1, the cavity is shown as formed in the stud 5, but it might with equal facility be formed in the other stud 6 and the spring then arranged oni the opposite side of the seat. i rllhis spring, when the parts are assembled, is always under a considerable compression, the eXact amount of which is adjusted inaccordance with the Operating conditions des'ired, and Vit will thus be apparent that the spring constantly tends to force the bushing and eye of the spring S Vin which it isdisposed away 'from the lug or ear L lying on that side ofthe-assembly adjacent the spring. i

It will moreover be apparent that the bushing 1l is capable ofl oscillation on the studs end until it is brought to approximately ceni' arranged in the 5,6 whenthe'partsare operatvely assembled, and as the bushing and eye of the spring S are operatively rigid and the studs correspondingly operatively rigidly disposed in the 'lugs L-L', the requisite oscillatory moveinent'between the spring eye and the lugs cani cally compensate. for such wear by constantly` urging the bushing away from the adjacent lug, thus continuously maintaining a proper bearing eiigagement between the cooperative Vthread faces in the bushing and on the studs, preventing any looseness and consequent rattling, and minimizing wear. by avoidance of lostmotion or playbetweentherelativelymoving parts throughout the life of the shaclrle. As the. .bearing area or surface aiforded by the cooperative f-aces of the threads is relatively great incomparison to the size of the parts, ,the normal wear is also correspondingly lessenedbecause of distribution over a wide surface, while as the angularity of the threads is slight and as the arc through which the bushing turns. from one limit position to the other under normal conditions of operation is not large, the endwise movement of the bushing relatively to the lugs L-L' as a whole is negligible.

n asseiiibling the parts, the seat is first `vforced into the eye of the spring in the usual seat, the lock way. The spring eye is then positioned between the lugs L L' and the stud 6 screwed into place, a spacing tool being preferably inserted between the end of the eye and inner face of the lug so as to locate the former a proper distancefrom the latter. The stud 4,5 is screwed in until its inner :end approaches but preferably does not coincide with the then slipped over washer 8 is the end of the stud, and the lock nut 7 screwed 18 in the into place and the washer bent over it. The spring 12 is'neXt inserted in the biore or cavity inner end of the stud 5 and the latter screwed inwardly through the lug L until the inner end of the spring abuts the adj acent face of the seat. Further inward movement of the stud now becomes effective to compress the spring, and this inovement is preferably -continued until the spring is 'fullyl compressed, after which the'stud is backed off for such given number of turns or portions thereof as has been previously determined ivill'place the spring under the desii'ed compression; the lock Washer is then slipped over the end of the stud and the lock nutV screwed on and lockedi inplace.

It will of course-.be apparentthat the greatbushing and the latte-r then er the compression of the spring 12 the greater willbe the friction between the c'ooperative faces of the threads and the greater the resistancev correspondingly aflorded to the oscillation of the bushing on the studs therefore, `when the several parts of the earing are produced' in quantities foi` a given installation and springs 12 of substantially unilform strength. provided, it can readily'be tion between the cooperative faces Vof .the

threads. When the bearing is used to form an. operative connection between an automotive spring and frame, the riding qualities of the car as a whole are considerably influenced by the amount of thisfriction, for if it is toogreat the car will ride 'hard. It is therefore desirab-le to initially determine by trial or otherwiseV the maximum suitable for the particular installation involved. After this has been done, it is onlynecessary, in order to obtain the same Operating conditions in subsequent installations, to instruct the mechanicwho assembles the bearings to back off the stud 5V for a -certain number of turns or parts thereof after fully compressing the spring beforelockling the stud in place.. This feature is of great advantage ,inthe quantity production of automobiles for it enables .the attainment of uniformity of ,frictional engagement in a plurality of similarl bearings in a very simple way.V

Preferably, one of the studs, for example the stud 6, may be axially drilled .as at 14 to provide a grease passage leading to the interior of the bushing and a suitable greas'e' oroil fitting 15 provided atthe outer end of the passage to facilitate the introduction of grease or oil to the interiorof the bushing; as the seat' 10 is perforated, lubricant thus forced in from one end of the assembly can readily find its way to the opposite side of the seat and thence to the adj acent bearing surfaces formed by the threads so that the latter throughout theirl length are properly and continuously lubri-cated from the supply at the center of the bushing which canbe replenished from time to time as required. Undei` certain conditions, the fitting and grease passage may be entirely omitted and the bushing packed with grease before theinsertion of` the studs, for as but very little grease is so that they will be'in perfect axial align-l .ment` and in such relative position to eacn other' that' a` suitably threaded tool Vsucli as a tap or bolt can be readily screwed through them from the outer face of one lug to the corresponding face of the other. Thus, when the partslare assembled, there can be no binding or the like between the bushing and the studs which might possibly be the case if the threads were not properly aligned both axially and as to lead.

As wear takes place in my nnproved bearing between one face of the thread vheliX on each of the studs and the adjacent face of 'the helix within the bushing,

it is coi'npensated as .already pointed out by the action o'f the spring 12 which continually mantains a full bearing engagement between said faces, and 'it is thus a matter of no moment that vas this wear gradually increases, the opposite face vof the thread helix on each stud and the corresponding or adjacent face of the 'thread helix in the bushing gradually teiid Moreover, 'in many installa-4 to separate.`

' tions to which my bearing is applicabl'e, and

been suggested are notflsatisfactory because the wear to which reference has just been made gradually tends to cause 'the upper part of the thread on the pin to' separate from the adjacent thread in the bushing, thus giving rise to play with consequent rattling and excessive wear. In niy improved bearing,

' however, the wear takes place on the inclined faces of the threadssubstantially equally above and below the bearing axis whicliever be the direction of ma]or Vertical load, so

' that a snug bearing fit without play or looseness is insured at all times, the spring being lof .sufiicient tension to inaintain that condition and prevent any side slap or sway even though the opposite or non-bearing faces of the threads gradually separate upon the occurrence of material wear on the bearing faces. In this respect, among others, niy improved wear conipensating bearing aifords a material advantage over the bearings employing continuous threaded pins and interiorly 'described inv the bushing shown m Fig. 2 is formed by thi'eaded bushings to which I have referred.

As liitherto stated, the seat forming means for the inner end of the spring 12 may be of any construction suitable-therefor, and in Figs. 2, 3 and ll have illustrated various forms of seats which'may, among others, be employed if preferred to the form'already Thus, for example, the seat 10' pressing an `annulargroove '20. in the .outer' -surfaceof the bushing after the latter has been threaded, preferablyv about midway of its ends, so as to cause the metal on the inside of the bushing to be forced radially in- `ward beyondt-he points of the thread and thus form anannular seat. `With this arrangernent, it is preferable to utilize a spring 12', the inner end of which is enlarged .somewhat so as to properly engage the seat, the inner diameter of which is necessarily Vonly a little less than that of the corresponding dianietei' of thebushing thread; V111 Fig. 3

I have shown another kind of seat consistlar fiange 10" formed integrally with the body of the bushing approximately niidway between its ends. As stated, this flange is desirably annnlar so as to provide anv openand, of course, i.vhen a seat of this Character is eniployed, it is impossible to thread the vbushing continnously from one end to the other so it becomes necessary to thread each end thereof separately. The radial width of the seat is a matter of choice, and can thus be formed as shown forthe r'eception of a spring 12 ofthe character of that shown in Fig. 1 or of less radial width, in which case a spring having an enlarged end of the character of that shown in Fig. 2 is einployed. Fig. 11- illustrates .still another kind of seat formed by a plurality of pins 22, four being struction which, under certain circuinstances may be preferred as it is ordiiiarily somewhat cheaper to manufacture than the form of eai'ing shown in Fig. 1 although not possessing all of the inherent advantages of the latter. In this construction, instead of emploving the studs 5, 6 externally threaded throughout their respective lengths and adapted for the reception of the lock nuts 'Z on their outer en ls, studs 25 having` threaded bodies 26 and ;gral lieads 27 are utilized, the inner end ,ne stud being boredout for the reception of thespring 12 and the opp'osite stud-(not shown in Fi 7) being desirable axially di'illed to form aigrease passage in the mannei' aiready described. The studs 25 utilized in this construction are therefore in the naturev` of ca)v sci'ews and after assenibly are prei. vented from hacking-off by any suitable means `ucl as lock washers 8 to which reference has already'been made. It will be apparent that ing of an inwardly radially directed annuing through which the lubi'icant may pass? ing is tlireaded, are drivcn inwardly through erly prop'ortioning the various elements and in this construction adjustment of the spring'- tension cannot be efected in the manner described in Vconnection `With the form of the.

inventionshown in Fig. 1, as it is necessary when assemb'ling the bearing to'set up the heads of Vthe studs against the faces of the members. L,'L'- 'or ofthe lock Washer 8 if employechthus substantially predetermining the posltion ofrthe stud adj acent the spring 12 With respect'to the other parts of the bearing in any given assembly. However,'by proputilizing springs of Esubstantially vuniform tension, virtually the same spring tension can readily be produce'd ina series of installaerable particularity as Well as certain bushings having various kinds of SeatsWhich maybe utilized therein,.I ndo not thereby desire or intend to confine or restrict myself specifically thereto as modifications may be made in the form, construction and arrange- 'p ment of the various parts to adapt the bearing to various uses and/or condltions of 1nclaim and I spring.

leoV

stallation Without departing from the spirit and 'scope of the invention as defined 1n the appended claims. w

Having thus described my inventlon, vI

of the United States tl. In 'combinationwlth relatively movable members, a Wear compensatinlg bearing forming a 'connection therebetween and comprlsing an internallv Vthreaded bushing rlgldly seated in one of said members, externally threaded studs carried by the other memberV entending oppositely inwardly into said bushing, the inner ends of the studs being in spaced relation therein, a compression spring seatlng at one end against one; of said studs, and means within the. bushing between said studs forming a seat' for the other end'of said 2. In combination With relatively movable members, a Wear compensating bearing forming a connection therebetween and comprising a bushing rigidlyl seated inone of said members and having internal threads extending Vinwardly from its ends, externally threaded studs extending through, and operatively fixed in the other member 'on opposite si'des of the bushing and having their ends respectively threaded into the opposite ends of the bushing and terminating in spacedV relation therein, a spring under compression eXtend-- 'cent face ofthe threadV on' the bnshing.

desire to protect by Letters Patent ing within'thefbushing Aand bearingl at, one

end` on one of the'studs, and meansbetween 'the inner ends of the studs and carried by the bushing forming a seat for theV ,other end lof the' spring7 Whereby the spring is efectiveto` continuously urge the bushingV in a predeter'- mineddirection With respect to :the studs to lmaintain bearing engagementfibetween tone'` face of the threads on the studs and the adj af 3. In combination With'relatively movable i members, a wear compensatingbearing formmg a conne'ctlon therebetvveen and comprising a bushing rigidly seated in one of'sai'd members and having internal threads extending oppositely fiinvvard from its ends,a pair',

of externally threadedstuds carriedv by' the other member with their inner ends'respecftively extending into the opposite ends ofthe bushing, means for restraining the studs from'rotation in said other member underroperative conditions, a'spring under.v 'compression seating at one end against one' of said '"s'tuds, and means Within'and carried by the bushing between the inner ends of the studs v forming a 'seat' for the other end of the, spring.

In combination withrelativelymovable members, avvear compensating bearing form-' ing a connection'therebetween and comprising an Vinternally threaded bushing rigidly seated in one of said members, means within the bushing adapted to form a seat for one end of 1a spring, a pair of eXternally threaded studs carried by and threaded into the other member in aXial alignment With each other, the inner threaded ends of the studs extending'into the opposite ends of the bushing, the inner end of one of said studs being v f provided with an axial chamber, means operative` to -restrain the studs from rotatlon in said other member under operative conditions and a spring vnormally under compres-V sion extending within said Chamber, one end of said spring seating on the bottom of the Chamber and the other end thereof against said seat forming means, Whereby the spring is effective to continuously'urge the bushing in a predetermined direction WithV respect to the studs to maintain Constant bearing engagement between'one face of the threads on the studs andv the adj acent face of the threads in theebushing.

5.V In combination with relatively movable members, a Wear compensating bearing forming a connection therebetween and'comprising an internally threaded bushing'rigidly' seated in one of said members, means rigidly .disposed Within the bushing adapted to form a spring seat therein at a point intermediate i its ends and arranged to permit the passage of lubricant from one side of said means to the other, a pair of eXternally-threaded studs threaded through the other member and eX- tending oppositely inwardly into the' opposite ends of'the bu'shing to cooperate with the 1 threads therein, 'one oftsaid studs-having an axial Chamber at its lnner end, means Cooperatinig witheach` stud to prevent rotation thereof in said' other member under normal' Operating conditions, and a spring normally under-compression extending in said chamber and seating at one end against the bottom thereof and at'the other against said seat forming means, said spring beingeffective to constantly 'urge the bushing in a predetermined directionl with respect to the studs to m'aintain one face' of the threads on the lattervin Constant bearing engagement with the adjacent face of the threads in the' bushing.v

6.' A wear-compensating bearing assembly comprising an internally threaded member,

threadedV bore, seat forming means in said' bore' intermediate the ends of' the member, a

second memberintendedifor relative oscil Ia-V tion with respect to the first member, a pair of studs having externallythreaded ends re'- spectively extending. into theopposite ends ofH the threadedfbore in the first member, and a coil spring normally` under compression interposed between one of said studs and said means. i w i g i 8. In a wear compensating bearing, an in-` ternally threaded bushing, .a pair of externally threaded studs extending into opposite,

ends lof the 'bushing, means within and rigid With the bushing forming a spring seat between said ends, and a spring interposed: be-

tween one of the studs and said means:

9. In a wear compensatlng bearlng, an 1nternally threaded bushing', a pair of exter-`` nally threaded studshaving. their inner ends extending into the oppositeends. of the' bushing, means within the bushin'g' intermediate W" its ends adapted to form a seatifor a spring,

said means provi'dingtian openingfithrough which lubricant can pass from one lside of said means to the other, and a coil spring? interposedbetween' one of said'studs andsaid seat forming means.

In witnesswhereof I have hereunto set my' hand this 13th day of7Apri1, 1932.

FRANK O. HOBLER..

lie 

